


A Much Needed Talk

by wolfdragon64



Category: RWBY
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Post-Volume 6 (RWBY), Ruby Needs A Hug, Weiss and Ruby have a talk, White Rose - Freeform, someone needs to talk to this poor child about her trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-06
Updated: 2019-04-06
Packaged: 2020-01-05 14:28:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,945
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18367913
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wolfdragon64/pseuds/wolfdragon64
Summary: They'd reached Atlas but Ruby can't sleep. Everything that's happened from the Fall weighing on her mind, making it hard for her to sleep. Maybe a talk with someone will help ease some of the worry and guilt that's been plaguing her.





	A Much Needed Talk

Ruby was exhausted. Fighting Cordovin had taken up a good chunk of her energy but standing against that Leviathan had sapped what was left. She shuddered at the memory of the Grimm looking down at her when she opened her eyes. Her concentration had slipped, the memories from the Fall and everything in-between surfacing when she really didn’t need it to. Pyrrha, Penny. Just thinking about their names sent an ache through her chest and she shut her eyes, taking a long slow breath. The rooms they had been given in Atlas were small, with just a bed and a dresser shoved into the room.

The cramped, empty space had made her skin crawl and she ended up moving to what was basically the living room. She was used to having other people around whether it be her own team or RNJR. She slowly opened her eyes again, looking up at the shattered moon and thinking about the story of the brothers and what had happened with Salem.

The sound of the door opening reached her ears and she tilted her head towards the sound but didn’t turn to see who it was. Footsteps moved towards her and she felt the couch dip next to her before a cool hand reached over and touched her arm. She finally looked away from the broken moon and exhausted silver met concerned blue.

“Couldn’t sleep?” Weiss asked, giving her partner a small smile. 

“Yeah, there’s a lot going on in my head right now,” Ruby sighed, rubbing her eyes.

“A lot happened today. Over the last few days actually.”

“It feels like everything is catching up to me now. Its just a lot to take in right now.

“You know you can always talk to me,” her snowy haired partner reminded her. “I did tell you I would be the best partner and while I haven’t been around to keep that promise, it   
doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten.”

“I know,” the young leader said with a smile, bumping their shoulders. “Do you ever feel like we’re in over our heads?” Weiss watched her partner as she looked back at the moon again, the usually bright silver of her eyes a bit dull. The dark circles under her eyes told her of the warrior’s exhaustion, her shoulders hunched as she tried to hide in her cape.

“Sometimes,” she replied and she felt Ruby shift against her side. “When Beacon fell we were still just first years. We were finding our rhythm as a team and there was still a lot we needed to learn. We weren’t full fledged Hunters or Huntresses, we were still just students.” Ruby turned her gaze towards the ground as Weiss spoke and she jumped when she felt a hand on her cheek and she was turned to look at Weiss, the blue in her eyes seeming to shine in the moonlight. “But we aren’t kids anymore, especially you Ruby. You’ve grown since our days in Beacon. I just wish I could have been there for you while it happened.”

“Its not your fault Weiss. What matters is that you came back. It was great travelling with Jaune, Nora, and Ren but I missed you guys,” she said, reaching up to put her hand over Weiss’s. “It felt like part of me was missing and I know that everyone had something they were going through but…”

“I didn’t make the separations easier.”

“Yeah.” Ruby closed her eyes and took in the warmth of her partner’s hand on her cheek, a small smile tugging at her lips. They sat like that, the two of them content with the silence while they organized their thoughts. “I realized something though.”

“And what is that?”

“When I saw you again, after being apart, I wanted to run up to you and just hold you. To make sure you were really, that I wasn’t dreaming. I missed you Weiss. Really missed you and then Haven happened. When I got up, I saw you down and I was scared. I thought I was going to lose you after you had just come back.”  
Weiss was quiet as Ruby spoke, moving her hand from her partner’s cheek and taking her hands in hers. The callouses on the younger girl’s hands were rough against her palm, but she didn’t mind it and she ran her fingers over the rough patches.

“I remember being angry, wanting to tear Emerald and Mercury down. The two of them were so smug about the whole thing, practically gloating. Then you were on your feet again and I felt like crying right there because you were up, you were fighting again. But there was a fight going on and we didn’t have the time.”

“And after?”

“We were busy again. Coming up with plans to get to Atlas, the plans to head to Argus, and then everything kind of fell apart after that.” Weiss winced a bit at the memory of the Apathy, remember how hard Ruby had tried to keep them going. She was surprised she’d managed to keep them going like she had. Her Uncle had turned to alcohol and the rest of them weren’t exactly any help; aside from Maria that is.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t much help at the farm. All I did was make you doubt what we were doing.”

“I won’t lie, it was hard trying to keep everyone going. We were all under a lot of stress though and with the truth of Ozpin out, it seemed so pointless. When I was holding the Relic over the well, I could see how hopeless it all seemed but I couldn’t just give up, I couldn’t stop.” She moved their hands so that she was running her fingers over Weiss’s palms now. “Luckily Maria was around or we wouldn’t have made it out of those waterways.”

“Without her, that farm would have been our grave.”

Ruby was quiet again and Weiss gave her a quizzical look, wondering what was going through her head. Silver eyes met blue and her breath caught in her throat. There was so much affection directed towards her in that gaze and she could feel her cheeks warming.

“Got a bit side tracked from what I was trying to say,” she chuckled, turning her attention towards their hands. “I like you Weiss, like really like you. It started back at Beacon , I’m not really sure at what point it was at. I just knew I wanted to do my best to make you smile. Being separated showed me just how much you meant to me. I wish I could have been there for you. I know you never got along with your Father and it must have been hard being there. But then you were back with Yang, the Haven happened, then the train, the farmhouse, the Apathy and-“

“Ruby, Ruby you need to breath,” Weiss chided softly, squeezing her hands. Her partner took a deep breath and slowly let it out before meeting her gaze.

“I know we’re in the middle of saving the world but we keep getting pulled into all of these near death battles and I just wanted you to know,” she finished with a low sigh, moving to get up but Weiss kept her in place, surprising the reaper.

“Let me say my piece Dunce,” she told her, pulling her back onto the couch and taking her hands again, making sure she would stay. “While I was stuck in the manor, I thought about out team quite a bit. I missed all of you but my thoughts strayed to you the most. If you were safe, if you had woken up after your Uncle found you on top of the Tower, if you were eating properly, or eating more cookies than you should be.” She heard Ruby let out a low giggle at that one and she smiled, glad she could make her partner smile. “I wasn’t there to watch your back the way I should have been. Then my Father denounced me as heiress and I decided I didn’t care to remain trapped. I was going to find you if it was the last thing I did.”

“At least it didn’t end up being the last thing you did,” the sniper muttered, having heard what had happened between the fencer and Yang’s mom.

“And I found my way back to you with some help from Yang. Seeing you again after all that time apart, it felt like something in my chest was going to burst. You are one of the most important people in my life Ruby. You helped me become my own person rather than the perfect heiress that my Father wanted me to be. Going to Beacon was one of the best decisions I ever made.”

“I’m glad you decided to go to Beacon. We wouldn’t have been partners if you hadn’t and Team RWBY would have been one member short. Funny how things work out,” Ruby grinned, looking to her. “So does this mean…”

“Yeah Ruby.” The younger of the two made a low excited noise before she threw her arms around her partner’s neck. Weiss let out a low noise of amusement but hugged her back with a s mile. She felt her move, Ruby tucking her head under Weiss’s chin and the two closed their eyes, taking in the warmth the other gave off. “You feel better?”

“Yeah, mostly tired now,” Ruby sighed. Weiss jerked back when the brunette shot up, startling her. “Weiss we have to kiss!”

“Keep it down you dolt. People are trying to sleep,” she hissed, reddening at her now girlfriend’s outburst.

“But Weiss, I’ve kinda been wanting to since the dance,” Ruby told her, her own cheeks reddening from the confession.

“That was two years ago,” the fencer said, looking to Ruby who hummed in response. “I suppose you’ve waited long enough.” The reaper was quick to respond, far too excited to hesitate, surprising her girlfriend. It wasn’t perfect but their first meeting hadn’t been either.

Neither of them really knew what they were doing but they would figure it out together. When they pulled apart, Ruby threw herself at Weiss, earning a startled noise from the fencer.

Weiss was now lying on her back on the couch, Ruby curling against her side and pressing her face against her neck.

“Comfortable?” she asked, exasperation in her tone and the scythe wielder hummed in response. Weiss reached up, running her fingers through Ruby’s shorter hair but there was something that was bothering her. “Can I ask you something? You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”

“You wanna know what I was thinking when the Leviathan turned on me,” she sighed, opening her eyes and taking one of Weiss’s hands in hers. It was quiet for a while and the ex-heiress wondered if she made a mistake asking. “It started off easy enough. I thought about Yang and my dad, when my dad sent Zwei, us at the festival eating noodles, that first day at Beacon, Jaune and Pyrrha. Then just Pyrrha and things started to fall apart after that. Jaune’s grief, everyone exhausted and broken at the battle, Yang missing her arm, Pyrrha turning to ash in front of me, Penny being torn apart just so that Cinder could call out Ozpin and Ironwood.” Her grip tightened and she squeezed her eyes shut. Fingers ran through her hair again, easing some of the tension in her body.

“Ruby, what happened that day wasn’t your fault.”

“It feels like it sometimes. If I had been just a bit faster, stronger, fought harder, maybe I could have saved them.”

“Ruby, you tried. I know it doesn’t seem like that matters but it does. You fought so hard that day, we all did and we lost friends but none of that was your fault. Tell me when you start thinking like that, you shouldn’t stew in those thoughts.” She got silence in response and she pulled back until silver eyes peered up at her. She would never get used to seeing how expressive the younger girl’s eyes were. The sadness and hurt was still there, despite the time and who ever said time healed all wounds was going to get run through with Myrtenaster. Her heart clenched at the pain that was reflected in those brilliant silver eyes. “Ruby.”

“I-I know I should but I don’t want to weigh you down with my nightmares,” the warrior whispered and she let out a squeak of surprise when the two were moved so Weiss could hug her.

The glyph user had maneuvered them so they were lying on their sides now and she could look at Ruby properly. Her body was angled to act more of a shield and she made sure the younger girl was looking at her. “Ruby I want to help you. You don’t have to keep going on alone. You have me, Yang, Blake, Jaune, Ren, Nora, your uncle. I’m sure Maria and   
Oscar wouldn’t mind helping you as well. You don’t have to be so strong on your own.”

“But I do! I’m the leader, I’m supposed to keep us going.” Ruby was shaking as she spoke, her voice cracking towards the end. “Its been two years; it shouldn’t hurt this much.”

“Its not easy getting over the death of a friend Ruby. Pyrrha and Penny were special to us,” Weiss murmured, brushing the dark hair from her partner’s eyes. “Its not something that’s going to be easy to get over. It still hurts because you loved them both.”

Ruby’s eyes shone with unshed tears as she looked up at her before she clenched them shut. “It hurts, thinking about them but I don’t want to forget either of them,” she choked, tears running down her face. “I saw Pyrrha at the top, she was kneeling down with an arrow through her chest. Cinder just walked up to her, a stupid smirk on her face, and put a hand on her head. She turned to ash right in front of me. I was too slow to save her.”

Weiss’s eyes were wide with horror as she watched Ruby who was hiding against her. She’d never heard of what happened to Pyrrha and now she understood why it haunted her partner so much. She had been there but she hadn’t been there in time. “Oh Ruby.” She held her close, running her fingers through her hair again when a song she had first heard years ago popped into her head. She started to hum and she felt Ruby twitch in surprise. She recognized the tube and some of the tension in her body left when Weiss started to sing.

“Red like roses fills my dreams and takes me to a place you rest~  
White is cold and always yearning, burdened by a royal test~  
Black the beast descends from shadows~  
Yellow beauty burns gold~”

“I heard that song right before we started Beacon,” Ruby sighed, looking up at Weiss through half-lidded eyes. “It was right before I visited my mom’s grave, before I went to Vale.”

“Want to return the favor?” the fencer asked with a small smile and her girlfriend’s face scrunched up in thought, trying to think of a song.

“Oh, I heard this one while we were traveling as RNJR,” the sniper told her, opening her eyes to meet blue. “Its not really happy but its kind of how I felt after everything had happened at Beacon.” Fingers ran through her short hair and she hummed the tune.

“It used to feel like a fairy tale  
Now it seems  
We were  
Just pre-tending  
We’d fix our world  
Then on our way  
To a  
Hap-py ending  
Then it turns out life  
Is far less  
Like a  
Bed-time  
Story  
Then a tragedy  
With no big reveal  
Of the  
Hero’s glory”

She stopped when she felt a hand on her cheek and she opened her eyes, not realizing she had closed them. The song had struck a chord in her while she had been traveling with the rest of RNJR. Being a Huntress wasn’t anything like the stories Yang had read to her, it was a darker, and tiring. Some days she wanted to curl up on her bed roll and not go anywhere, the crushing sorrow of Beacon weighing on her mind. Blue eyes shone and Ruby reached up, wiping away the stray tear before she continued to sing softly.

“And it seems  
We weren’t prepared  
For a game  
That wasn’t fair  
Do we just go home?  
Can we follow through?  
When all hope is gone  
There’s one thing  
We can do  
Let’s just live  
Day by day and  
Not be conquered by our sorrows  
The past can’t hold us down  
We must break  
Free  
Inside we’re torn apart  
But time will mend our hearts  
Move on-  
Ward-not  
There yet- so  
Let’s just live!”

She wiped away the new tears, humming softly and kissing Weiss’s forehead. “Hey, everything’s fine now. You’re here, Yang and Blake are here.”

“I was supposed to be comforting you,” Weiss said with a low laugh and Ruby chuckled, pulling her close and allowing her to hide against her. “We should get some sleep.”

“Alright, good night Princess.”

“I’m not a princess.”

“You’re my Princess,” Ruby grinned and she jerked in surprise when her girlfriend pinched her side.

“Stop teasing and go to bed Dunce,” Weiss huffed, refusing to look at her, her cheeks reddening.

“But I’m your Dunce,” the red half chuckled and she got a low growl in response. “Fine, fine. G’night Weiss.”

“Good night Ruby.”

**Author's Note:**

> Got a notebook with a few stories stowed away in it. Pokemon AU, a Runners AU, this was one of the stand alone ones. Maybe I'll post one of the longer ones once I get further in them but who knows. Hope you guys enjoyed this, I really want someone to talk to Ruby about everything that's happened but so far she's just been bottling it up. I'm worried about the little rose but so far nothing's really been brought up.


End file.
